Lyke

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A coffin or burial vault used especially in historical contexts ; a box or chest for containing a dead body before burial ; an old term referencing a place designated for interment
2. A receptacle for the deceased commonly used in past eras ; a wooden coffin or corpse container ; a burial site or tomb often mentioned in archaic texts
3. An ancient word for a coffin employed in funerary practices ; a container to hold a dead body temporarily or permanently ; a location or chamber for burial in historical usage

Etymology: This noun traces back to Middle English, where it appeared as "lik" or "lyke," carrying the meaning of a "corpse" or "body." The term was commonly used in medieval England to refer to a dead person, especially in funeral contexts. Its somber usage is preserved in phrases like "lyke-wake," a vigil held over the deceased. The word derives from Old English "līc," which meant "body" or "corpse." This Old English root is related to the verb "licgan," meaning "to lie," as in lying down, which connects naturally to the stillness of a body after death. The concept of lying down here is both literal—referring to a person reclining or deceased—and figurative, in the sense of rest or repose. This term is cognate with similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old High German "lih," meaning "body," and Old Norse "lík," also meaning "body" or "corpse." Such shared roots point to a common Proto-Germanic ancestor, reflecting the importance of the body as a concept in these cultures. Over time, the word fell out of common usage in everyday English, replaced by more modern terms for the dead body, but it survives in certain dialects and historical texts, preserving a direct linguistic link to the way early English speakers related to death and the human form.

Synonyms: corpse, dead body, carcass

Antonyms: living body, alive